Hot water not lasting

[bhivetravels]

Last few days our hot water is not making it through two showers (10 gal). It used to easily handle the two showers ... If I switch on the propane it will make it, just not while on electric alone. Is there anything I can do maintenance wise to fix this?

[wallynm]

Look into installing a thankless hot water heater

[Dads_ShadeTree]

Lucky for me I found this thread.

Whoever said the outside temp doesnt mean anything is WRONG.I can tell you for a fact....it does.Especially when heating by elect.Not as much on propane.My water going in the heater is VERY,VERY cold...Summer time...not so much.But that holds true in most RV parks.Water lines are not buried as deep as normal.

[doxiemom11]

Possible that your electric heating element is wearing out. Ours did and was just keeping water warm, not hot. We replaced and now make it thru 2 showers with no problem. Just hot water should be hot enought you don't want to hold your hand under it for long.

[bsinmich]

As a photographer who still does my own darkroom work I can tell the temp of water will vary by 30+ degrees from summer to winter. With our extreme cold winter last winter and a cool summer we never did get to 70F in 2014 summer and it is a lot cooler already when it comes in the house.

[pegdiver]

Some 1999 Winnies did not have electric water heaters. They were only propane. When we replaced our water heater, we got the duel heat one.

[TomB_]

I was just looking at our hot water heater yesterday due to DW c/o not enough hot water... I could not see a switch to change it from LP to elec. Where is the switch? (1999 Winnebago)

Of course I do realize that a 15 year old anything is subject to quit at the most inconvenient of times...

So is this a fix or replace thing? :h

[bhivetravels]

OP well the water in the fresh water tank experiment worked just a bit -- had a little more hot water or so it seemed. Maybe I showered faster than the wife last night? -- using the propane and the electric works great so I think I've concluded the electric elements inside the tank are in need of replacement or repair. Thanks everyone for your assistance.

[wa8yxm]

Just a thought but when I first came to Georgia last summer I had dang near unlimited hot water (Depending on the time of day) since the sun warmed it up to shower level while it was still in the hose connecting me to the park. Or so it seemed,, I mean I did not have to wait for the water to get hot in the shower.
(And that last is not exaggerated at all, I really did not have to wait, but I did have to add hot as the sun could not heat it fast enough).

[wannavolunteerF]

One thing is turn the propane on just before you get in the shower and then after you finish turn it off. That way you are not using your propane to keep the water hot when you aren't showering, but keeping up with heating the cold water entering the tank during your shower.

[old_guy]

tell you what. I agree on the cold water thing because I have noticed in the summer time my water control arm on the shower faucet is closer to the middle of the pivot and in the winter it is more towards the hot side of the pivot. this is in my stick house not my RV, but same difference.

[Tinstar]

For immediate relief buy an Oxygenics shower head. It has the pressure you will want but restricts the water flow. You just won't use as much of the hot water on the first shower,,,, making the second more pleasurable.

They really do work.

[bhivetravels]

RoyF wrote:
Is it possible to use less water during a shower? For me, I turn the water off while soaping, then turn it back on again while rinsing. My wife does the same.

Back in the days when we tent-camped, we had a "sun shower" that held one (or was it two) quarts of water. An hour in the sun and it was nice and warm. If we could find an out-of-sight place in the bushes then we would BOTH shower (together of course) with that much water!

Back when we tent camped with the kids we did the same, now, especially as full-timers we do not want to give up any comforts of "home". The shower will last as long as I need it to, especially due to the fact that not a month ago it was fine!

[powderman426]

nomad297 wrote:

MrWizard wrote:
put fuel in the RV and drive to a warmer climate :B

NO. its not maint issue..its the cold water comming in from city inlet

fill your fresh tank, turn off the city inlet connection
once the fresh water tank warms up..(24hrs) the showers will last longer
as you will be mixing less hot water
also i would switch to LP
its cold you are going to need it
i would rather pay for LP and have hot showers, than worry about running out of hot water

This is the problem.

I am a plumber and every year as the service water gets colder and colder, we get more and more calls from people thinking their water heater is going bad. I could take advantage of this and sell a load of water heaters every fall and winter, but I am an honest plumber.

Bruce

I'm not buying this answer. Water lines are buried in the ground below the frost line, therefore the water temperature for city water will be the mean ground temperature for your area plus or minus a degree or two. Not enough to make a difference. Check your heating elements and or the temperature controller.

[RoyF]

Is it possible to use less water during a shower? For me, I turn the water off while soaping, then turn it back on again while rinsing. My wife does the same.

Back in the days when we tent-camped, we had a "sun shower" that held one (or was it two) quarts of water. An hour in the sun and it was nice and warm. If we could find an out-of-sight place in the bushes then we would BOTH shower (together of course) with that much water!